Masters of the Air
This article contains spoilers for Masters of the Air .
Summary
In the first episode of Apple TV+‘sMasters of the Air , audiences meet the centesimal Bomb Group , or the " Bloody Hundredth " during the springtime and summertime of 1943 , but how much of the episode truly happened in material life ? Created by Gary Goetzman , Tom Hanks , and Steven Spielberg , Masters of the Airis a state of war dramatic play following the true story of the men in the U.S. Army Air Forces ' hundredth Bomb Group , which see serious challenges during World War II . Thecast ofMasters of the Airincludes Austin Butler , Callum Turner , Anthony Boyle , Barry Keoghan , and more .
Masters of the Airepisode 1 lays the foundation for the 100th Bomb Group , its key role player , and its line within the war . At the very commencement , Gale " Buck " Clevenand John " Bucky " Egan are introduced as skillful supporter who are both head to the same Air Force social unit in Europe . Upon arrival , Bucky unwrap that performing missions is much more grievous than it was made out to be . Meanwhile , Harry Crosby is an air sick navigator who gets his grouping into a bad situation . Ultimately , the 100th ’s first delegation is not only scrubbed , but end in the significant loss .
8Did The 100th Bomb Group Call Their Plane “Alice From Dallas”?
Buck’s co-pilot suggests the nickname in episode 1
As Buck and his gang fly to Thorpe Abbotts , where the hundredth Bomb Group will make their base , his co - pilot announces that they should call their planer , " Alice from Dallas . " The other man like this name , and soon , pass around a pic of one of the airman ’s sweethearts . Thus , " Alice from Dallas , Alice our Palace " becomes a mantra among the military man . As it turn out , " Alice from Dallas " rightfully was the name of a B-17 Flying Fortress that belong to the 100th . It is unclear whether Buck was the aircraft ’s pilot , but it certainly existed .
7Did Gale “Buck” Cleven’s Almost Crash His Plane In Greenland?
Buck makes a successful landing, despite high winds
In the very same scene , Buck has a very snug call with his crew . The " Alice from Dallas " is set to commonwealth in Greenland to refuel before they continue on to England , however , severe winds make the landing place far from easy . InMasters of the Air , Buck coolly manages to set down the " Alice from Dallas " , despite some terrible turbulence , essentially call the winds nothing more than a zephyr . While there is no record of this event hap in real life , this scene does its caper by showing Buck ’s two groovy strengths : flying and staying calmness under air pressure .
6Did Bucky Really Break A Narwhal Tusk Pretending To Be A Unicorn?
Buck brings the bartender a unicorn toy to make up for it
After landing , Buck and the 100th cling out at a taproom , and Buck has a speech for the bartender from Bucky . Inexplicably , it is a fictile unicorn . Unsure of what befall , Buck asks for more information , and the bartender let on that when Bucky return through weeks prior , he broke a narwhal ivory hanging on the wall while drunkenly pretend to be a unicorn . Unsurprisingly , there are no unshakable records of this occurring in real life sentence , however , that does not count it out whole . The tale could have been a more personal story take from primary sources .
5Did Harry Crosby Really Have Airsickness?
Harry Crosby’s airsickness left his group with bad coordinates
Aside from Buck and Bucky , Harry Crosby is another pregnant quality inMasters of the Air , though his introduction is not so happy . While fly into Thorpe Abbotts , Crosby ’s sickness causes him to misinterpret his map , make his group to nearly aviate into France . But was Harry Crosby genuinely air sick ? According to Donald Miller ’s book " Masters of the Air : America ’s Bomber male child Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany , " the answer is yes . As portray inMasters of the Airepisode 1 , Crosby had doubts about his navigational ability and suffered from airsickness at low altitudes .
4Was Meatball The Dog Real?
Captain Bernard DeMarco brings a dog named Meatball to Thorpe Abbotts
As Buck and the repose of the 100th finally ground at Thorpe Abbotts , Bucky is surprised to find a dog with the crowd . The husky is named Meatball , and has been adopted by Captain Bernard DeMarco , played by Adam Long . Apparently , the wiener enjoys vanish and remains with the 100th through episode 1 . It turns out , Meatball the dog was very much actual . As reported by the100th Bomb Group Foundation , Meatball was a half - grown Eskimo dog that the crew clean up in Labrador . Meatball stay at Thorpe Abbotts throughout the war .
3Did The 100th Really Lose Most Of The 349th During Their Mission?
All but 2 of the 349th planes were lost
At the culmination ofMasters of the Airepisode 1 , Buck , Curtis Biddick , and other members of the 100th fly their first mission over Germany . alas , right from the start , it does not go to plan . Even before present German flak , one planer rick around due to mechanical troubles . Then , an integral squadron is out of alliance with the residuum of the shaping , cook them vulnerable . in the end , when the German aircraft begin their attack , the 349th is targeted , and the squadron lose all but two of its planes . The mission is ultimately scrubbed , and the 100th return to England unsuccessful .
In general , this tracks with what went down during the tangible 100th ’s first mission . In June 1943 , the 100th localize out on a mission to drop turkey on Bremen , Germany and other surrounding target . In literal life , their 17 planes were part of a large formation of 275 American bombers . During this mission , 18 planes were shoot down , and three of them were from the 100th . This meant that 30 man were killed in action . In this way , Masters of the Airreplicates both the losses of the mission , and the gist on the human beings subsequently .
2Did Steve Bosser’s Hands Really Freeze To His Gun?
Sgt. Steve Bosser suffers from the cold temperatures during the mission
While the 100th ’s first mission was a catastrophe on many levels , one specifically nasty matter that fall out was that Sgt . Steve Bosser , who was Buck ’s ball turret gunner , had his hands immobilize to his gun after the Germans bust a hole through the gunner ’s pool . While there are no records online of Bosser ’s accidental injury , there is definitely still a probability that this occurred to the soldier . Once again , thisMasters of the Airdetail was likely glean from primary reference rather than online database .
1Was Colonel Harold Huglin Really Sick?
Col. Harold Huglin shows signs of illness from his very first appearance
ThroughoutMasters of the Airepisode 1 , Colonel Harold Huglin appears a few times , exerting his power over the 100th . For example , he scolds Bucky about his demeanour and presents their very first military mission . However , another major aspect of Huglin ’s lineament is his mystery story unwellness , which point itself when Huglin repeatedly vomits blood . at last , Col . Huglin ’s unwellness is not present in any records online . Once again , this is a contingent so specific that it in all likelihood come up from first - hired man account . Therefore , it is potential that Huglin ’s illness did really chance , but never made it online .
